Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

Mike Perez was kind enough to send me a sample of Crabtree and Evelyn's vintage release ( Mysore Extract). It's simple but very good and lasts surprisingly long for sandalwood.

I recently acquired a bottle of ERBE Sandalwood and it's like a toned down Villoresi Sandalo. I get a citric-cedar-rosewood-sandalwood accord that's from the rough side of town. It's rugged like the Viloresi.

Bois des Iles Extrait (Chanel) is nice too - it would seem Chanel have access to Mysore but who really can know? The Crabtree & Evelyn was great in the 80s, a true Sandalwood EDT that delivered a blast of goodness and then stuck around for while, and I think it may well have contained some real Mysore at one point, but it changed, presumably as supplies dried up.

I own Sandalo (Villoresi) & Sandalo (Etro) and have tried Tam Dao (Diptyque) several times but I don't think there's any Santalum Album in them, nice as they are. I suspect the same may be true for the glorious Santal Noble (MPG) but I don't care because whatever is in it is fantastic, altho I am a little nervous that the latest incanation may have snuck in just a bit of screechy cedar or something not altogether wonderful. I haven't tried the de-luxe Montale, vintage Creed, Profumum or one or two others that are often mentioned.

It's just a shame the stuff got over-harvested and we are now running round mopping up the last drops and trying to find a hint of the magic in facsimiles. The Australian and Pacific Islands stuff and Cedarish concoctions that seem to have been pushed into service don't do it for me. I'm not a chemist so I don't know how the Santalool (?) and other synthetic versions work or how true they may be to the real thing - one day, maybe.

Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

Extract of Mysore Sandalwood by Crabtree & Evelyn (vintage juice) is what you're looking for. Since this is discontinued then try to get a hold of some of the Montale oil Futami mentioned above. It is the real deal.

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Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

I must admit that I haven't given much exploration to sandalwood fragrances because I tend to not like woods, but the more I explore, the more I fall for them. I recently sampled pure Mysore sandalwood oil and it is breath-taking yet light. If I could, I'd fashion a scent around it. I like DSH Sandalo--even Pour le Jeune Homme and Hammam Bouquet have a good whack of sandalwood as well as Royal Scottish Lavender. I've not tried the other Creed sandalwoods, but hope to.

Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

Originally Posted by Jkidd

Tam.........Dao

This turned far too powdery on me. I actually gave my brand new bottle away. I vote for the unadulterated AOS Sandalwood EDT - great for every season except summer (a little heavy then, imo). Though very linear, I have yet to find any sandalwood scent for men that surpasses it for me. But I do enjoy trying...

Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

Originally Posted by change1

Mysore Sandalwood Soap by KSDL is the only mass produce product that smells like real mysore sandalwood... you have to try it.... it's also very cheap for a bar... under $22272012112220Mysore-sandal-291x218.jpg

Re: Best sandalwood fragrances, bar none

I'm pretty sure I've smelled some actual sandalwood on my motorcycle in Japan while driving around at night, and the scent that matches what I've smelled lingering in the air the closest would have to be Tam Dao. Pretty accurate rendition of just straight, airy sandalwood IMHO.